My girls are trying to go without candy in 2014 (there is a cash reward at the end of the year if they make it), so I had to search out non-candy valentines for them to hand out to their classmates this year. Thank goodness for Pinterest. Ella will be handing out these in third grade, and I thought heart-shaped crayons would be perfect for Claire to take to kindergarten, so last weekend we whipped some up.
There are about a million tutorials out there for making these crayons and it really is an incredibly easy process, especially if you remember to soak your old crayons in hot water to get the wrappers off instead of trying to peel them off by hand (trust me, your fingers will thank you for this tip). The tutorial I used can be found here.
Once we had the crayons made, I couldn't find a card to go along with them that I loved, so I created a simple one of my own. You can download the free printable HERE.
Once you print these out and trim them down using the print guides provided (there are four to a page and they should each measure approx. 4x4 inches when trimmed), this is all you need to create your valentines:
- heart crayons
- regular tape or another form of adhesive (not pictured)
- 4x6 cellophane treat bags; I purchased mine at Michael's
- decorative washi tape
Have your child sign their name on the card first, then attach the crayon to the card with a piece of tape or other adhesive. A folded piece of regular Scotch tape worked just fine for me. If you use the Wilton Petite Silicone Heart Mold to make your crayons, they should fit perfectly in the space on the card. Then you just slip the card into the cellophane bag, fold the top of the bag back and secure with a strip of washi tape. You could also use a heart sticker or something similar to secure the bag.
Claire's teacher provided her with a sheet of label stickers that included the name of each child in her class (so smart - can you tell she has been teaching kindergarten for a while?), so we just attached a name sticker on the back of each bag.
Claire can't wait to pass these out... now we just cross our fingers that we actually end up having school on Valentine's Day! Yet another big winter storm is predicted to hit our area tomorrow. We have already had five snow days this year, so we are definitely all a bit winter weary right now!